Alan
Monroe, LakotaCatlinite Double Eagle
Effigy Pipe HK Item #CEP-62

These
pipes are made of solid sacred catlinite by fifth generation Oglala Lakota pipe
maker Alan Monroe. The catlinite was mined from Alan Monroe's mine at Pipestone
National Monument in Pipestone Minnesota. The stone has been buffed and polished
to a high gloss with beeswax. Each pipe is signed by the artist. Certificate of Authenticity available on request - enter request in note section when ordering. Stems
are sold separately here.

The pipe figures into Native American culture in many ways and for each culture
there are different uses and traditions. The intent of this article is not to
provide a comprehensive explanation of the sacred significance of the pipe in
Native American cultures, but to just offer a brief idea of how pipes have been
and are used by Native Americans.

On
first contact with Native Americans, the French used the word "calumet"
[from the Latin "calamus", for reed] to refer to the sacred pipe. Early
pipes of the Miami and Illinois were hollow canes decorated with feathers.

The
Lakota sacred pipe, the chanunpa, is an important part of healing ceremonies
conducted by medicine men. Once a pipe is made, it must be blessed in a special
ceremony that connects it to the original sacred pipe that was brought to the
Lakota by the White Buffalo Calf Woman. This is to ensure that a good spirit resides
in the pipe.

The Sacred Calf Pipe
bundle is the most sacred object of the Sioux. It was brought to them by a messenger
(White Buffalo Calf Woman) from wakan tanka (the holy being, the great mystery,
the source of all healing).

The sacred
pipe of the Osage is the Niniba.

Pipes
currently in use by the Plains Indians are made of a catlinite bowl and a separate
wooden stem, usually made of alder or ash.

The
bowl can be a simple L shape or a T shape or can be a carving of an effigy or
other symbol.

The primary source of Catlinite
is in Minnesota along Pipestone Creek which is a tributary of the Big Sioux River.
This area under control of the US National Park Service is now named Pipestone
National Monument. Native Americans can apply for a permit to quarry catlinite
there. Catlinite is named for the New York artist George Catlin (1796-1872), who
was the first white person to visit the Minnesota quarry from which it was obtained.

Catlinite,
a very deep red stone, is symbolic of blood of the ancient people and the buffalo.

Although
the words catlinite and pipestone are often used interchangeably, there can be
a great difference in the two stones. Catlinite, with its dark red color and exceptional
ability to be carved, is only found in the Minnesota mine. Pipestone found elsewhere
in the US and the world has a different composition, is often a pale terra cotta
color, and cannot be carved like catlinite.

The
bowl and stem are separated and carried along with a tamper, the smoking mixture
and other smoking accessories in a bag or pouch.

Each
person has their own ritual about handing and smoking their pipe. It usually starts
by smudging (purifying) the pipe and all of its parts and accessories in the smoke
of sage, sweet grass, pine or cedar.

Once the pipe
has been purified, the stem is connected to the bowl, the stem being viewed as
male and the bowl as female.

Important
- How to insert the stem into the pipe.

CAUTION
- Never roughly jam the stem insert into the pipe hole. If you force the insert
into the barrel, you could break the pipe.

Instead.
. .Moisten the insert with your lips. Insert the stem into the pipe barrel
and gently give it ¼ turn. This will give the stem a good hold on the inside
of the barrel. The slight moisture will swell the stem insert slightly which results
in a snug fit.

If you treat a pipe with respect, it
will last a long time.

A certain
number of pinches of the smoking mixture are added to the bowl in ceremony. Each
pinch is smudged before loading in the bowl. (Read
about smudging.)

The smoking of the pipe generally
consists of puffing on it, not inhaling it. It is viewed as a means of sending
one's prayers to the Great Spirit and making a connection between the earthly
world and the spiritual world.

As the pipe is passed,
one holds the pipe in the left hand while using the right hand to wave the smoke
over the top of one's own head as a blessing. When speaking to the Great Spirit,
often the stem of the pipe is pointed toward the sky.

In
the hands of a medicine man, his sacred pipe is full of mysterious power and able
to accomplish many things for the health, safety and well-being of his people.

When
smoking is finished, the pipe is again treated with great respect as the bowl
is cleaned, the stem is detached from the bowl, the pipe is blessed and stored
in its special bundle or pouch.

According
to Native American tradition, once a pipe has been smoked and blessed the first
time, the bowl and stem of the pipe should only be joined for smoking. When they
are joined, during smoking, the spirit of the pipe is released. After the ceremony,
the bowl should be separated from the stem and they should be stored that way.
If you store or display a pipe with the stem and bowl connected, the spirit is
free to roam.

The Offering
Pipe is a small scale, less expensive version of the Sacred Pipe and is meant
to be used as an offering or give-away.

In many cultures,
offerings are left at sacred sites and as a gift to the Spirits. In Native American
culture, offerings might be left each time someone passes a certain way or takes
water from a spring or stones from a mine. An offering can also be left for a
person (alive or dead) or for a Spirit as a symbol of thanks and respect. The
offering might be tobacco, food, money, flowers, craftwork or special objects.
When a person goes on a Vision Quest the pipe that he smoked during that time
would be one of the greatest offerings he could make to the Spirits. The Offering
Pipe by Alan Monroe is perfect for such uses. When left as an offering, the pipe
is separated from the stem and traditionally wrapped in red cloth which represents
the red road or the good path. The bundle can be tucked in a rock crevice or a
tree at the appropriate location.

A Give-Away Pipe
also has tradition in Native American culture. When someone dies, there is a ceremony
similar to a wake where people come to pay respects to the departed. Sometimes
an Offering Pipe is placed in the casket for burial with the deceased. (See above.)
Also, the family passes out gifts to family and friends at this time as a symbol
of the tradition of giving away some of the deceased's belongings. This is where
a Give-Away pipe might be used.

A year after the person
has passed, a feast is held in the person's honor and the rest of the person's
belongings are given away. This is another instance where a Give-Away pipe would
be suitable to exchange between family and friends of the deceased.